Video: Trading Places: Moving on

FORT WAYNE, Ind. — 1952: A young doctor and his wife, newlyweds, begin a life in a small Indiana town. They had no idea when they were starting out that they would live the American dream.

And now, my mom and dad have realized it's time for a new chapter.

Joy Snyderman: There are little things that come up that make you realize that time is shorter than you would like.

Now into their 80s, my parents are packing up and relocating to a new town — my town, Princeton, N.J. — where they'll be closer to three of their 10 grandchildren and part of a community that will nurture their insatiable intellectual curiosity.

Dr. Sanford Snyderman: You're getting a very super-charged educational area. There will be stimulation. We'll be able to take classes.

But decisions like this aren't always easy, and for my dad, a prominent ear, nose and throat doctor, it means that after almost six decades in practice, he will say goodbye to the last of his patients.

My parents raised four kids in Fort Wayne, Ind., and now, after 55 years, it's time to move on. It's exciting and it's bittersweet.

Dr. Sanford Snyderman: It's bittersweet, but you have to recognize that time goes on and that no one owes you anything. I've had my day in the sun.

Dr. Nancy Snyderman: So do you think people will be sad to see you go?

Dr. Sanford Snyderman: They say they are. I hope they are. I'm sad to leave people.

My parents’ move was a decision the entire family took part in. But in the end, it is one that Mom and Dad had to make on their own.

Joy Snyderman: I have seen people in my own family who refuse to make a move at the right time when they could have called the shots. That's very important to me. I want to be in charge of what's happening to me as long as possible. And I think that's a kindness for my family.

Thursday on "NBC Nightly News," Ann Curry shares her story of caring for her father.